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The centre-left government was widely popular when Mr Lagos took office; by July this year, polls registered 44% disapproval. The conservative opposition has been looking forward to December 16th, when Chileans will elect a new lower house and half the Senate. But the atrocities of September 11th have put voters' woes in a new light. “With world events so brutally present in people's living rooms, it's harder to argue that blaming them for our troubles is just a government excuse,” says the finance minister, Nicolas Eyzaguirre.

But 40% say “brown”. They too will qualify. Fair enough, for they too are disproportionately poor, ill-educated and jobless. A recent study by IPEA, an official research body, found that of the 75m Brazilians—about 45% of the population—below the poverty line, two-thirds were brown or black. And though time has brought successive generations of all colours more education, the gap between whites and the dark-skinned—about two years of education— has persisted. At the top, 11% of whites go to university, only 2% of the rest.

Copyright © 2006 The Economist Newspaper and The Economist Group. All rights reserved. About sponsorship Chile's politics Count your blessings Oct 18th 2001 | SANTIAGO From The Economist print edition Since September 11th, voters have begun to see that life could be worse TO CHILEANS, home has begun to look sweeter than it did a few weeks ago. The economy is faltering and the job market weak, but terrorist attacks and war would be worse. This new perspective if it lasts, may be good news for President Ricardo Lagos, whose allies face congressional elections in December.